The Certified Voice Artist Program (CVAP) will celebrate its 1st anniversary, this June 20, 2021, with the Star Wars-inspired theme, "May the Voice be with You". This online event will be held live on the Certified Voice Artist Program (CVAP) Facebook page and YouTube channel, from 5:00 PM onwards. Hosted by top CVAP graduates, the live celebration will feature all the students and alumni, highlighting their stories, and of course, the man behind it all, Pocholo "The VoiceMaster" Gonzales.
The VoiceMaster, through CVAP, aims to provide accessible quality voice training to both aspiring and experienced voice artists. When the COVID-19 pandemic happened and the lockdowns that ensued afterward, people were left restless and anxious. Pocholo saw this, but at the same time, the soaring demand for voice acting despite the pandemic, so he organized webinars about voice artistry from April to May 2021. Eventually, he, along with his CVAP Co-Founder, Nike Esmero, established the first and only voice acting certification program in the world.
Pocholo said that the main reason why he established CVAP is because of his D.R.A.F.T. – desperation, rejection, aspiration, frustration, and transformation. He explained that he wanted to democratize the voice-acting industry, which has always been monopolized by the elite few. He believes that the new age is upon us, where everything is now happening online. There is a need to keep up with the times, and Pocholo's solution is to produce a new generation of online voice artists through CVAP.
In his book, Gusto Kong Maging Voice Talent, he clarified that they should be called voice artists, not voice talents, as they use their voice not for the money, but as a way to express their passion and artistry. Pocholo emphasized the big difference between a voice talent and a voice artist: the former sees voice acting only for financial gain, but the latter treats it as an art. This is reflected in CVAP, as the workshop is not only central to equipping students with technical skills, but most importantly, the principles and morals of being a voice artist, along with how to gain confidence in their craft.
From helping develop one’s vocal skills, providing access to practice scripts, and teaching one how to set up one’s own home studio, to providing guidance on how to go about with auditions, and eventually celebrating one’s successful projects, CVAP is not only a community of people with common interests, but an extended family that one can count on not just his voice acting career, but also in life as we know it.
Through the solidarity of the CVAP family, this new generation of online voice artists serves as the stepping stone to equalizing the industry, and eliminating the politics that has long corrupted the voice acting industry. Protecting the principles of voice artistry, and its firm support from the students and alumni of CVAP, is what fuels the revolution and democratization of the industry.
In the short span of time since CVAP was founded, the program has already made a great impact in the voice acting industry. But the most significant impact is how it has changed the lives of its graduates. Despite the pandemic, Pocholo managed to not only push through the adversities but also offer opportunities to all aspiring voice artists that may have languished in their homes prior to CVAP.
As CVAP celebrates its first anniversary, a live online celebration is slated to showcase its journey, with videos of former students looking back and taking pride that they are part of the family. Ultimately, the program's commitment to molding true voice artists amid the pandemic has been realized in less than a year. The celebration shall commemorate how far CVAP has come, and how far it could still go in the years to come.